Remember Us
by WishfullyThinking
Summary: A time machine built by Princess Bubblegum. A Vampire Queen forces her way back in time. Marcy is brought forward against her will. One trying to seal up old wounds while the other is just trying to be safe. Simoline and background Fubblegum. Keep your opinions to yourself if you don't like Simoline. Subject to rating change. Rewrite of "Remember Me".
1. Chapter 1

**Hello hello, it's me. The author who did that really shitty fanfiction of Simoline, like, a year ago. I decided that it was time to update that shit but I'm not going to be posting it on my old story because then it'll be switching from good to bad from every other chapter. Sooooo, after I finish re-writing it and finishing this, I'll delete the old one. :D**

**Also, please do not review if you hate Frostbite/Simoline. I don't hate on Fiolee or Fubblegum (There is that in here tho) or Finnfire or any other kind of ship you can think of. This is a small minority of a shipping and I like it. You can throw your complaints in the complaint box but ****_I DON'T CHECK THAT SHIT. _**\( #`⌂´)/┌┛︵ /(.□. /)

**Anyways, if you wanna read the old version, you can just check in my stories at it's there. Please read and review at your leisure and enjoy!**

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the open window of the tree house. Leaves whispered as a breeze disturbed the quiet aura of the bedroom. Clouds floated lazily away from the sun as it reached the top of the sky. A young blond human boy fussed around a kitchen inside the ancient tree house, gathering his clothes among other things. A yellow pit-bull lazed in a dresser drawer which had been made into a make-shift bed, shaken from his sleep by the noise coming from the floor below him. Not a few seconds later the boy called for him, causing the dog to groan aloud, but he did not argue.

The dog stretched his legs down to the floor to avoid jumping off, before returning to his normal height. Scampering down the wooden steps, the dog was greeted by the sight of his adoptive brother. The human boy grinned at the dog as he slipped on his black shoes.

"Mornin' Jake." Finn greeted as he shoved on his left shoe before standing up. Jake smiled and gave him a good morning as well before walking into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two. They had to hurry, though. Today was a special day of sorts.

"Do you think she'll let us use the machine?" Finn asked, his mouth half-full of toast as he hurriedly ate.

"I doubt it dude." Jake replied as he scarfed down some eggs while sipping coffee, reading off a newspaper that was set upon the table. Jake always made breakfast, no matter how pressing something was. "I just hope it doesn't take all day. I got a date with Lady Rainicorn tonight."

"It's a time machine, mang!" Finn threw up his hands, smiling his toothy smile. "If you're late, just use the time machine!"

"Hah!" Jake laughed good-heartedly before finishing his plate, which Finn had done a long time ago. "Ready to go buddy?"

"How could I not be ready?" Finn shouted as the two ran down the stairs, past BMO who waved enthusiastically as they retreated. As soon as they hit the grass, Jake stretched out his torso as he mimicked the length of a rainicorn. Finn hopped on, "This is going to be awesome!"

They bounded toward the Candy Kingdom, which came into view as they passed the mountains and the forest, leaping over fallen trees and ponds. The wind whipped through their respective fur and hair. The day was truly lovely; perhaps not exactly weather to time travel in, but anyone arriving would be pleased. At Finn's left side, a bolt of darkness joined them as they headed towards the kingdom. Finn was somewhat startled, but soon recognized the blur to be his friend Marceline, the Vampire Queen.

"Hey." She smirked as she flew along with the two. She was cloaked in a dark coat and gloves to protect her skin from the sunlight, which she easily burned in. Her hair was tucked up in the hood of the coat, her face shrouded in shade.

"You comin' to the time machine thing too?" Jake asked as he heaved Finn on his back as they neared even closer.

"I had nothing else to do, and Bonny asked me nicely." Marceline mused.

"I can't wait to see what (or who) she'll be sending back." Finn grinned, causing the vampire to roll her eyes at the younger human. As she flew faster, it was a silent but obvious ploy to get them to race. It worked, of course. She swept past the two like the wind, temporarily putting Finn off balance atop his steed. Finn yelled in complaint, but he was soon drowned out as Marceline flew over the wall and into the kingdom. The vampire slowed to a halt as she reached the castle, with Finn and Jake on her heels.

"Alright, you win." Jake gasped, dumping Finn on the ground as he caught his breath. They entered the castle without any problem, the banana guards having become used to their presence after their so many visits. Peppermint Butler greeted them in the foyer, leading the quartet down a flight of stairs into the darkness of Princess Bubblegum's labs. The princess was hunched over a metal table, fiddling with electronics, but quickly looked up as they entered. The room was huge and filled with electronics and computer parts. On the wall in front of them was a huge contraption with multiple screens and flashing lights. Wires were scattered across the floor hazardously, two large circular indentations in the wall and the floor where the portals would most likely appear when the machine was activated. The princess set down her tools when she saw them and greeted the three.

"Hey you guys." The Princess greeted warmly, smiling at Finn mostly.

"Hey PB!" Finn was practically jumping up and down with joy. "You ready to do some time-travellin'?"

"Not exactly, no." Princess Bubblegum reluctantly answered, causing Finn's face to fall. "This is only a test-run, and the machine is only built to take so much information from one time to the other, so it may malfunction. It'll take a few minutes to set a few coordinates and get it warmed up. You can go and wait in the main hall for now, guys."

Finn and Jake groaned but did as they were asked, dragging their feet upstairs. Marceline, however, stayed behind and watched the princess input the coordinates into the machine. On the screens were multiple shots of Finn and Jake's tree house, the two boys running from the tree excitedly which Marceline recognized as a few minutes ago. Marceline shook her head with disappointment. Slowly Marceline made her way behind the princess, scaring her as she turned around. "Boo."

"Hey!" PB put a hand to her chest, frowning but not angry.

"Sorry. I just wanted to wait till you were done for me to ask a few questions about your thingy." Marceline pointed to the time machine.

"Oh?" PB smiled, "You're actually interested in my machines now?"

"Well, kind of." The vampire shrugged, "Like, could you use it on people or whatever? How far back can it go?"

The princess was not deflated, "Well, in theory it could be used on peeps, but at this testing stage I wouldn't attempt it. Any mortal creature that uses it might be injured when they come out on the other side, not to mention the potential side-effects of staying in the past for too long. I think the machine could probably go back past even the Great Mushroom Wars, but I wouldn't want to tempt fate and change the future drastically."

"Cool." Marceline nodded as her thoughts clearly somewhere else having heard that. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'll go see if Finn and Jake are ready." The Princess replied graciously before going upstairs.

Marceline floated towards the device, staring down at the keyboard in which the princess used to input the coordinates and time. Marceline knew enough about old-world devices to work it without breaking it. She carefully typed in the time period, telling herself that she didn't know if this wasn't going to work or not, that she didn't even have a plan. But she knew she wanted to go back so badly, to see him again. On screen once again there were multiple shots of the time Marceline had chosen. It was a barren and destroyed city, old world vehicles overturned, some burning. Creatures Marceline only knew as mutants stumbled around, green fluid oozing from the holes in their bodies and spilling onto the ground. She knew she would find him there.

Pressing a red button Marceline could only identify as the ON switch, electricity zapped through the air as the machine began to run. She heard footsteps coming from upstairs, but that was a background noise as the portal shot into existence in the first indentation. It was nothing like the portals to the Nightosphere, as it was purple and almost transparent in nature. Marceline didn't have time to study it, however, as the Princess and the boys came in. Princess Bubblegum took in the scene with lightning-quick observations before her eyes settled on Marceline.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted as she began towards the vampire. Marceline didn't have time to explain, or even to reason with herself as she felt the portal drawing her in. Sticking out her tongue, she only managed a quick "See you later!" before jumping in. She felt her stomach jump into her throat, but she couldn't vomit while she was in there. It almost felt as if her body was contorting along with the vortex. She could hear the muffled yells of the princess behind her, but all she could feel now was the cold sensation as her body was being forced from the present and into the past.

The bubblegum princess stomped around the room in fright, for both her machine and the vampire who had foolishly used it for whatever purposes. How dare she use it, even after the princess had told her there was risk involved! A little calm part of her head told her that Marceline wasn't even a mortal, so there was a possibility that she wouldn't be harmed, but she was too outraged to acknowledge it.

"Guys, this is really bad." She said as she stomped from both sides of the room, practically creating a rut in the concrete floor. The two boys look from each other to the princess, concerned for both their friends. "The machine wasn't ready for transporting people yet! I doubted it would even work on people in a year without trial and error!"

"PB, I'm sure Marceline's alright." Finn stood, draping a comforting arm around the princess's shoulders. Princess Bubblegum smiled at the human boy, her lips parting as if to say something but her words were interrupted as the machine began to whirl, a new portal appearing in the indentation beside the other.

Princess Bubblegum froze, frowning. "The time machine will replace the young Marceline with the older. Because you cannot have the same two people in the same time period."

With a flash of light, a small girl was hurdled into the room by an unseen force. The child landed softly on a pile of stained rags, already unconscious from the ordeal. The three quickly hurried to the child as the portal behind them winked out of existence. The girl was young, maybe seven or eight, wearing a pair of overalls and a red t-shirt underneath. Her black hair was cut short. It seemed that even in youth the girl was a vampire. It was obvious by the grey skin and the pointed ears. The princess checked the child's breathing as it was obvious a vampire wouldn't have a pulse. She was breathing steadily, although faster than a child normally would.

"Call for Peppermint Butler— we need Doctor Ice Cream." PB commanded. "Now."

* * *

The air was cool, unnaturally so for this time of year. The breeze sent shivers down your spine and settling into your bones. The sun hung up in the air, the only thing to provide any comfortable warmth. There was the rustling of dead leaves that skittered across the ground in a hurry, chastened by the force of the wind. The fabric of her coat fluttered in the wind, waking her from her slumber. Her eyes slowly opened, adjusting from the darkness of her lids to the brightness of the sun that cast down on her. Hesitantly she pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes as she took in her situation. She had fell atop a hood of a car, the metal slightly distorted inwards from the force of her mass. Her body felt like one huge bruise, but otherwise she wasn't burned or critically injured, which she was happy about. Perhaps if a mortal went in, they would have died. To her right laid on the ground was a mutant, which seemed to have fell over as one of its legs had decayed rapidly. She felt no remorse as she looked upon it, as it still clawed in the air at her. She turned quickly, slipping from the hood and onto her feet, steadying herself on the car.

She walked across the blacktop, a sense of nostalgia filling her. She had been through these streets before, a thousand years ago. It all looked so familiar, so sharp in her memory. She stepped over a puddle as she walked along, noting how nature seemed to be taking back the land, crawling across the walls of buildings and sky-scrapers. Birds chirped incessantly, fluttering past in a horde. A flock of deer fled from Marceline's presence, trotting down main street. Marceline could feel a memory pushing at her, when the bombs didn't go off. Vehicles that used this road daily and nightly, when buildings weren't toppled but filled with people twenty-four seven, working.

It reminded her of her mother. She puzzled at times when it came to her mother. She had never asked dad what had happened to her, other than when she was nine. She had received little to no answer. All she knew of her mother was that she was human to begin with and was changed into a vampire after Marceline was born. Her mother looked just like her, with long and unruly black hair and piercing eyes. Sometimes if she focused, she could remember a warm embrace, the smell of lilac and honeysuckle, the smell of freshly cut grass. She could remember the glimpse of pink human flesh and the dark color of her hair, the softness of her eyes. Marceline touched her cheek, wondering if she had those same eyes.

Her hair escaped from the hood and flew unbound in the wind. The streets were so quiet without the humans. Marceline wondered where all the humans went. She knew a lot of them died, the mutants could attest to that theory. But Finn was a human, and he was a thousand years in the future. Maybe there was a group somewhere in the world, where the humans had survived. Maybe her mom was there. But that meant nothing, because if she was then that would mean she had left Marceline. Or had lost her, which still wasn't much comfort. But she wouldn't have met Simon if she hadn't. It was a bittersweet condolence.

She was lost in thought when she caught sight of a campsite ahead, lodged between two cars and blocked off by an overturned semi. Marceline quickly turned invisible, hoping she hadn't given away her location. It could have been anyone's campsite, although she doubted it. Levitating over scrap metal and burnt plastic, she inspected the area. It definitely looked like where Simon would camp, so he had to be nearby. She decided she would wait for him here.

But then there was the issue of meeting him or just following him. Was little her here with him? Then why would they have left the campsite without taking anything? Simon had always said it was a good idea to pack up each time they left, even for a second. They never knew who would be around to take what they needed. Marceline landed atop the semi and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. All she had to do was wait. At least, she hoped.

The best idea to her would be to follow silently. She didn't exactly want to destroy the time continuum or something by interacting with her younger self, although she really didn't believe in that bunk. If anything she could just say she was little Marcy's older sister or something to keep the continuum in check. Although she doubted it would come to that. Yawning, she watched the streets for any sign of movement. A few animals scavenged nearby in trashcans which had probably been cleaned out beforehand by other scavengers. She changed positions every few minutes because of her nerves— she never usually felt this nervous about anything. This probably even went over her nerves about seeing her dad after such a long time. But how could she not be nervous? She was finally going to see Simon again, after all this time waiting and trying.

She had been trying so hard for Simon. Trying to bring him back and out of the prison of his mind. She had been spending a lot of time with him, telling him stories of the past to try and jog his memory, scanning his bearded and haggard face for any sign of recognition. But she saw nothing. And she was let down every time. Reliving those memories always imbedded the knife in her heart deeper, twisting it harder. But she tried to power through it; for him. For Simon.

Shaken from her thoughts, her eyes gravitated towards a splash of snowy white hair in the darkness of the setting sun. She had no idea she had been sitting there so long, waiting for the man. She could feel the electricity of the moment in the air as she allowed herself to be seen. She chastised herself, but the damage was done. Simon had saw her.

Simon didn't look a day old from her memory. White fluffy hair that draped across his shoulders and down his back with a matching white beard, thankfully not as long as the Ice King's. His torn and ruined tweed suit hanging off of his skinny bones. Shattered and dirty glasses that somehow managed to stay together despite their disrepair. He visibly winced when he saw Marceline, which she realized probably couldn't make out her face in the shade the coat's hood provided. She held up her hands in the universal sign for "I mean you no harm" and stood, gently floating from the semi. Simon's hand shot to the crown on his hip, and rested on the glimmer gems of it.

"Don't." She warned, "Don't use that crown."

He halted, frowning at her as she slowly approached. "Have you been watching me? Have you taken Marcy?"

"She's gone?" Marceline cocked her head in disbelief. Well, that was one less thing to worry about, although she hoped her younger version was safe in the future, or somewhere. "Sorry, no, I haven't been spying on you."

"Yes." Simon continued non-too trustfully, squinting at the stranger before him. "Some sort of… portal sucked her in and I couldn't get her back. Been trying to find her all day."

"I'm sorry you lost her." She apologized, "Sorry I frightened you too."

Simon shook his head, "Who are you? What are you?"

Marceline opened her mouth, on the verge to say something, but stopped. Should she tell the truth? If she did go along with him, she knew that she probably couldn't keep up the lies for too long and he would figure it out. "You've known me for a long time, Simon."

Simon froze, "How do you know my name?"

Marceline didn't answer, instead looking to the sky. The sky had turned a dark grey, threatening rain upon them, and it looked nasty. "I don't think that tent could stand a bad downpour. Let's get inside." Simon took a look at the sky and nodded in agreement, but didn't comment. Simon gathered his supplies, Marceline not bothering to help because it might have looked suspicious. He led them into an apartment building nearby right before the rain came thundering down. Claps of thunder rang through the air, flashes of lightning throwing frightening shadows on the paint-peeling walls. The floor of the apartment was lumpy; the stairs difficult to step over as they climb up a few flights. Marceline was so lost in the experience she almost forgot she could fly.

They set themselves up in the least destroyed flat in the apartment. A part of the floor was sunken in and the couch was ruined, but otherwise it was functional enough. Simon laid down a sleeping bag for himself but didn't offer her one. She could understand— with little Marceline gone and a stranger showing up in her place, it did seem awfully suspicious.

As the rain came pouring down and the sun had completely gone, the need for warmth was vital. Simon pulled out a rusty old gasoline powered heater and poured fuel into the tank before starting it up. At first it roared to life but quickly lowered to a gurgle as it began to churn out heat. Simon looked up after setting the heater down, his face almost kindly now. "It'll take a bit for it to start up, but at least it will be warm."

The vampire nodded, her fingers tracing the outside of the hood of her coat before slipping it off, her hair unraveling as it was set free. She hid behind her hair a moment before taking in Simon's expression who seemed to be slowly taking in the sight. Marceline stared back, fear of rejection striking down her back. His expression was almost comical, his expression a mix of pain, déjà vu, and confusion.

"I know you Simon, because I'm…" Marceline trailed off a moment before choking it out. "I'm… Marceline."

Simon didn't seem to react, or even hear her. He just stared at her dumbly, his lips parted. He shook himself from his trance a second after, squinting at her, almost hopeful. "Where… is Marcy?"

"I don't know." She answered truthfully, "But I have a sense she's— I'm— I'm sure she's alright." Marceline answered weakly. "If she wasn't, I wouldn't exist."

Simon frowned, turning towards the window a moment. She could tell he was lost in thought once more. He often did this when she was little, as far as she could remember. One time she asked what he was thinking about, and he gave her two answers.

_"I'm thinking about my princess." He said kindly, looking down on her with a sad smile. "But my princess is gone."_

_"Where did she go?" Little Marceline asked eagerly._

_"I don't know. I hope that, eventually, I'll find her one day…" He trailed off. "But I also think about you."_

_"Good!" Marcy grinned, "I think about you too! Don't ever get hurt Simon!"_

_He laughed, "I'll try not to, my little vampire Queen."_

"You're really Marcy?"

Marceline snapped back up, having been lost in memories of her own. She nodded, feeling her throat clog with emotion. The warmth of the room seemed to be too much. Simon seemed to be staring, but not into her eyes but at her cheeks. She lifted a hand, brushing the tears from her face as she felt a storm of sobs approaching. She heard Simon shift beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the other pulling her towards him. She was practically in his lap when she rested her head against his chest. He began shushing her gently, running a hand through her hair.

"Marcy, don't cry." He whispered gently as she whimpered pitifully, her sobs slowing as he comforted her. He rubbed her back gently as she rested against him.

"What happens in the future?" He asked quietly after a moment.

She shook her head after a moment, an arm wrapping around the older man tightly. He sighed into her hair, deciding it was best not to argue with her while she was in such an emotional state. She allowed a few more sobs to escape before she settled against him, her breathing slowed as she fell into a peaceful slumber. Simon couldn't help but follow suit.

* * *

**To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here is chapter two.**

* * *

The hospital was abuzz with life as candy people of all sizes and shapes bustled around, some with gurneys and other with supplies of candy to help those injured. Earlier that day a pack of candy-hungry wolves had been hanging around the gate of the kingdom, attacking any citizens who dared get close to the gate. Doctor Ice Cream sighed, turning towards a small pound cake, prepared to deliver a few orders of business when a yellow bull dog burst into the hallway and barreled in her direction. Thankfully he stopped just a few feet away from her, heeling to allow the bubblegum princess from atop his back to the ground, who held a small grey child who seemed to be ill.

"Doctor, please, this is an emergency." The princess pleaded. The doctor nodded, gesturing to a nurse to grab a gurney. The princess laid the child on the gurney carefully before it was briskly pushed away by the doctor, who led the three down a busy hall and into a calm, quiet room. The room was a soft pink and smelt faintly of antiseptic, which was strongly masked by the scent of sweets. The room held no windows, only the childish designs that decorated the walls.

Doctor Ice Cream quickly went to work as she assessed the young vampire's state, checking her temperature and monitoring her breathing. Finn and Jake glanced at each other nervously, inching towards the bed as they eyed Marceline worriedly.

"Doctor Ice-Cream, do you think we can help?" Finn asked as he stared at the young Marceline, remembering he had seen this little girl before, in her memories. Doctor Ice Cream shook her huge head, sighing under her breath.

"Sorry, this girl just needs some rest right now." She replied, watching as the human slumped, feeling useless. He slunk back to the line of chairs along the wall along with Jake, who curled up beside his buddy. Princess Bubblegum entered the room shortly after, a grim expression set upon her face.

"Okay you two, we need to find a way to get the older Marceline back." PB began as she sat down next to the two, "The time machine is broken, it wasn't meant to take all that information back and forth. It was only made for items." Her eyes lingered on the small form in the hospital bed. Finn and Jake also gazed at the little girl.

"Uhm," Jake broke the silence, "Could you rebuild the machine?"

Peebles raised a hand to her chin, "Well, I can replace the burnt wires and the broken monitors and such Unfortunately, I don't have enough power crystals to power the machine. I'm not even sure if they could extract future Marceline and send her younger counterpart back!"

"Where are these power crystals?" Finn asked, jumping up, ready for adventure. Princess Bubblegum motioned for him to sit back down, which he dutifully did so.

"It is way too dangerous right now. Wizards up in that direction where the power crystals are being used are camping there for their biannual Wizard Fest. You'd cause a war just trying to get in! Remember, Wizards only or whatever that bunk." Peebles gestured in one hand as if talking about a group of ruffians, but quickly brought back her upbeat demeanor. "But their Wizard Fest isn't too long, maybe a few days at most. The Marcelines should be able to stay in these times for that long."

"Should be?" Jake asked, raising a brow.

"As I told Marceline, there are potential side-effects from using the machine. I'm not too sure, but I theorize that if they stay too long in their wrong time-lines, they will begin to become sick. Their metabolisms will start to shut down, they will get a fever, have delusions, and eventually..." The Princess trailed off.

"Kick up daisies?" Jake ended for her in question.

"Yeah." She nodded, "I'm pretty sure nobody wants that to happen."

The adventurers nodded in agreement. Before they could speak again, movement came from the small figure on the bed. They could hear snuffling and groaning, as if the child were fighting through a nightmare. Princess Bubblegum stood up quickly and went to Marcy's side, petting her head. Marcy's eyes opened for a second, unfocused black orbs.

"Simon?" She called out sleepily. PB rubbed the girl's back until she closed her eyes once more and drifted back into an uncertain slumber. It seemed as if the whole room had been holding its breath, and soon everybody was breathing normally.

"Even after we do get the crystals," Bubblegum began, "There is a risk that something might not go right."

Finn didn't like that foreboding tone in the princess's voice, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that something could malfunction and cause injury to the two Marcelines, or even us if the machine exploded. Like one of the two Marcelines could lose and arm when she comes back, or the younger could lose and leg and consequently the older loses theirs as well. It depends on the amount of life-force in the room when the machine is active. We're lucky that the portal opened when we were just getting in the room. Glob knows what would have happened if we had been in here when the portal opened in the room!" The princess explained.

The two heroes nodded in understanding, "So, is there ANYTHING at all we could do? We don't like being useless."

"Well, I sometimes do." Jake joked.

"I think it would be best if you stayed behind and tried to make young Marceline as comfortable as possible," The Princess nodded to the young vampire asleep in the bed, "You told me once you went into Marceline's memories and encountered the young Marceline before. Maybe that could help you now."

"You can count on us, princess!" Finn fist pumped, beginning to shout before noting the look on the Princess's face in which he whispered, "Adventure time!"

* * *

The sun was bright the next morning when Marceline woke up, causing her to wince and pull away from the sun instinctively. She hadn't been aware that Simon still had his arms wrapped around her, and grunted in his sleep when she pulled away. Marceline felt her heart swell with joy at the sight of the man, here, in the very same room. Hell, it wasn't the right time period but it was something. She smiled at the (biologically) older man, brushing a lock of snow white hair from his face before slipping from his grasp, gently laying a wool blanket over him.

Pulling her cloak around herself, she peered outside to take in the scene. The rain had cleaned up most of the muck that had gathered from the constant spit-up from the mutants. A few puddles were here and there, reflecting the morning light. A tree was overturned by the storm but it didn't make much of a mess, the leaves having already fallen off months ago. All that was left was rotting bark and the line of ants retreating from it.

Marceline found it strange, how mortal creatures clinged to life. Even the smallest creature such as the ant always had to find a way to make a home, to survive. Marceline had always been an odd creature, but she wasn't afraid of death. She was afraid of never seeing her friends again. Not that she was sure that she could die. She was half demon and half vampire, so there was a number of variables in that mix that she couldn't dare keep track of. Her cloak rippled in the breeze as she floated from the window down to the cracked pavement, floating above to find something to eat.

Back when she had been little Marcy, Simon and herself had gone foraging before. It was a time-consuming activity but a rewarding one when they found a good amount of food. Sometimes they would find a bush of berries, other times Simon would find an injured animal such as a deer or raccoon and mercy kill it and they would cook it. Marceline would remember crying when she saw the animal skinned, but Simon explained that the animal would want them to eat it. It wouldn't want them to starve. Marceline accepted this explanation because it made her feel better, and because she was often ravenous. At that moment Marceline came across a bunch of wild berry bushes near a small throng of trees. Wild rabbits were seen nearby nibbling on the berries but quickly ran for cover as the vampire neared.

Opening the pocket of her cloak, she began picking ripe berries carefully and storing them in her pocket. The berries were plump and juicy, but not exactly her cup of tea, as they were blueberries. But she could tolerate eating them for now. As she stood from the bushes, Marceline was almost knocked down by an apple that came crashing down onto her head. Rubbing her head, she picked up the apple and inspected it, finding it to be healthy to eat. She looked back up at the tree which unlike most was healthy appearing and indeed bearing fruit. Even the plant life fought back, Marceline thought with amusement.

Marceline soon returned to the camp with her berries and a few choice-picked apples. Simon was stirring when she had stepped in, doing a double-take before calming down. "Ain't I supposed to be the one waking up at the crack of dawn?" He smiled lazily at the vampire who couldn't help but be charmed by that grin. The bearded antiquarian soon pulled himself into a sitting position before being treated to Marceline's supplies.

"Great work, Gunter!" Simon grinned as the Vampire Queen took off her cloak and handed him the entire pocket of berries while she kept the apples. Marceline was lost in the memories of the future a moment after hearing that forgotten nickname. She was quickly shaken back to the present, however, as Simon appeared to be dividing the berries up.

"No, no, no." She lumped the fruit back into one pile again. "You're waaaay too skinny in the future so I'd rather you eat as much as you can"

Simon frowned, "But what will you eat?"

"These." She answered before demonstrating her draining the red from the apple. Simon was a little put off by this, but not by much. Marcy had been a biter, but the draining thing was a skill she had required centuries later. She had survived off of eating red things before she had learnt to drain them. Still, she was happy to explain this to Simon. It felt like they were catching up.

"Well, good to see you eating something." Simon nodded before taking a handful of berries and popping them into his mouth one at a time. He hummed appreciatively as the sweetness engulfed his tongue. "Haven't had any good fruit lately."

After a couple of comfortably quiet minutes, Simon ate his fill of fruit before storing them in a plastic container and stuffing it into his backpack. Stretching, his back popped audibly and he groaned in pain. Marceline frowned, stretching out one hand in offer to help, but he waved it away. "I had this before the war, I'll be alright."

Marceline shrugged but resolved to help him with his aching back later. For the moment she was distracted by helping him gather their supplies once more before stepping out of the building. The air was mildly warm with a cool breeze running through the air. These were one of those nice days when she was younger that she would have laid out in the sun with Simon and made up stories about the shapes in the clouds.

"So, where are we headed?" She turned to Simon as they traversed the land. Well, he traversed; she simply floated beside him without breaking a sweat.

Simon shrugged, "I have no idea. We have no way of knowing how long this will last or when you two will go back to your respective times, so I thought we would just circle around in the city and keep busy until something happened."

Marceline nodded, understanding his logic. There wasn't much to do other than wait. They drifted from block to block, crossing streets, avoiding mutants and other dangers. Sometimes Marceline recognized some of the areas they passed- where Simon and Marcy had a cook-out; the rooftop where Marcy had been comforted by Simon because of a bad dream. It was all so tangible, as if she could reach out and touch the memories and re-live them.

Soon they were hunting for dinner again. Simon found a few cans of green beans and SPAM, something Marceline wasn't ecstatic about but tolerated, before they were jumped by a group of mutants. Marceline was able to pick up Simon (he barely weighed over fifty kilos) and fly them to safety. It was weird to carry the older man in her arms, as if the gesture should go the other way around. As they flew through the cooling air, night settling upon the area again, she looked down to Simon and smirked, "Well, you're being held. Happy?"

Simon was confused a moment before he got the joke, and laughed heartily. It was nice to see his handsome face light up with laughter like that. She wanted to make him laugh more, tickling his sides before they set down. She didn't even question why her stomach filled up with butterflies by the sound, too happy to care.

"Next time I carry you from danger." He joked, "I am no damsel in distress."

"We'll see about that, knight in shining armor." She rolled her eyes good-heartedly before they chose a place to stay for the night. They chose a one-story house this time, the couch not as destroyed as the one last time. Simon made sure the house was locked down while Marceline set up a bed for them. They had sleeping rolls but the cushions from the couch were still usable, if a bit musty smelling. It would certainly be more comfortable than the floor.

Simon soon returned and they began their dinner. Marceline jokingly commented on her love of cold green beans and SPAM.

Soon they were finished with their dinner and threw the tins hazardously from the room and into the kitchen. The light was dim in the room, only lit by a few candles Simon had taken from this backpack earlier.

"Hey, would you mind if I gave you a back massage?" Marceline asked after a moment of consideration, her black orbs glittering in the warm glow of the candlelight. Simon peered at her nervously, gulping. "I noticed the back pain and I want to help."

As Marceline's hands came to rest at Simon's shoulders, he didn't resist. He simply allowed her to rub his back. It felt really nice too, having those infernal knots in his back to be worked out by her delicate hands. When her hands reached Simon's ribs, she frowned and whispered "You need to eat more.", receiving a grumble from the older man. Eventually she stopped when she was satisfied that she had gotten all the knots out from his back, she sat down beside him on the cushion bed and began squirming under the covers. Simon motioned to make a bed on the floor but was stopped by Marceline's hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" She snarled playfully. When Simon could only stutter out half-answers she replied, "And waste all that work I did on your back? No way."

She pulled him back onto the cushions and waited for him to get comfortable before tucking the blankets around him like he used to do with her when she was younger. Simon laughed at this treatment, but his heart was racing as she kissed him on the cheek goodnight. His face went purple from the affection, which he soon returned on her forehead. She laughed and took a similar color before rolling over and presumably falling asleep. It felt nice to be with somebody.

He needed somebody.

Anybody.

_**TBC!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's chapter three. Slightly suggestive, I suppose. Remember, I don't have a beta, so please excuse any errors.**

* * *

It felt as if she were underwater, voices so close but the words were unidentifiable in the darkness of her slumber. A light touch on her back and on her forehead, the name of someone slipping off her tongue. The scent that wafted to the young vampire's nose alien, not like the city. It was fresh, and sweet. Foreign, but almost comforting. She felt as if she were surfacing, the water pushing her up from its grasp. She floated along until light pushed against her eyelids. She attentively opened them, blinking as the brightness filled her vision. She first noticed she was no longer outside. The room was pink with drawings on the walls; a few electric lights overhead illuminated the room. She was lying in a bed with a soft blanket, her shoes having been taken off and set aside somewhere.

Next she notices the strange creatures in the room with her. The pink woman. Pink dress, pink skin, pink hair, pink pink pink. She also wore a golden crown with some sort of orb set into it, light gleaming off of it. To the far right was a olive-skinned human wearing some sort of hat that mimicked that of a bear. At least, he looked human. The only human she had ever met was her mother and Simon, and Simon had a nose. Beside the human was a yellow dog of some breed. She had never seen a dog before, other than the feral mutated ones and the ones in books. This one didn't look mutated, besides the bright fur.

Pushing herself up, she looked around the room in wonder, her breathing becoming labored. She didn't see Simon anywhere! She was panicking, she didn't like these strangers. And Hambo! Hambo was missing! She searched with her eyes for her beloved stuffed animal before shouting, "Where am I?! Where's Simon?!"

The pink woman stood, raising her hands in gesture of peace. "Please, calm down. We're not here to hurt you." Her voice was gentle and kind, understanding. Marcy relaxed somewhat. The pink woman's face reminded her of the pink gum that was spread across the city, for whatever reason.

"We'd never hurt you Marceline!" Said the boy, walking over to the side of the bed along with the dog. Marcy shied away from the two, hugging her knees to her chest. The pink one frowned at the human, crossing her arms as if he had said something bad.

"How do you know my name?!" Marcy shouted again, trusting these strangers less and less as they conversed.

"Please, it is alright." The pink one leaned down, smiling calmly. "We'll explain. Everything is alright, you are safe."

"Is Simon safe?" Marcy asked hesitantly.

The pink woman paused but nodded, "Him too."

Marcy felt a degree of calm settled into her, allowing herself to lay back against the pillow.

"Wow, you're really good with kids, Princess!" The dog said happily to the pink woman, startling Marcy. None of the dogs Simon or Marcy encountered could talk! And Simon never said they could talk. Neither did the books! And this woman was a princess?

"Dogs can talk?" Marcy yelped, somewhat in fear and excitement. Animals could talk here!

"Well, yeah! They could always talk!" The dog replied, "Well, after the Mushroom War, we could…"

Marcy turned to the pink woman, "And you're a princess? Maybe you're Simon's princess!"

"Simon's princess?" The pink princess asked.

"Yeah!" Marcy bounced in the bed, "He told me once that he had a princess that was gonna marry him, but he put on the crown and went all crazy and scared her away. He's hoping he can meet her again, some day. Maybe you're his princess and you just don't know it! Are you his princess? Huh?"

The pink woman frowned, shaking her head. Now she knew what Marcy meant, she remembered the video diaries they had found. "I'm afraid not…"

"Oh…." Marcy frowned, "Well, okay. Sorry. I just want Simon happy, you know? He gets sad when he talks about her."

"It's okay." The pink woman smiled, "Now, I'm going to tell you how you got here. This may be a lot to take in but please do not panic. You're safe and we are sure Simon is too."

"Okay…" Marcy nodded.

"Well… you are a thousand years in the future. Well, nine hundred and ninety-six, anyways. You, the future Marceline, went into the past. You couldn't be there while she was, so you were pulled from your tent and into my lab. Do you understand me so far?" The princess bowed her head, talking slowly to allow the child to process this. After Marcy nodded, she continued, "Now, the time machine wasn't made to take people back and forth. It was only made to send objects back and forward. So for the moment, it is broken. But don't worry, it is being repaired. You just need to wait a few days until it is completed."

"Okay." Marcy nodded. She could deal with being gone a few days. Just as long as she could see Simon again. She looked at all three of the strangers, almost recognizing the human and the dog. They seemed familiar. "Who are you guys, though?"

"I'm Finn the human!" The human answered, smiling at her. She noted the human had a few teeth missing, probably from fights.

"And I'm Jake the dog." The yellow bulldog said, waving his fingers at her. She noticed he seemed a bit nervous around her.

"My name is Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum." The Princess smiled, putting her hands into her lap. "But you may call me PB or Peebles if you like."

"I'm Marceline Abadeer." Marcy introduced herself, "I'm a vampire and half-demon, I think. That's what my daddy said I was, before he lost me. I think I was half-human once too, but that was when I was a little baby so I can't remember very much. You can call me Marcy though."

A loud grumble went through the room. Marcy was surprised to see that it was coming from her own stomach. True, she hadn't ate breakfast so she was a bit peckish. "Is there anything to eat?"

Princess Bubblegum laughed, "I'll call Peppermint Butler. I think we can rustle you up something to eat."

As Marcy waited, she noticed the scent in the air more clearly. At times it was a sticky sweet sort of smell, the kind of smell Marcy got whenever she found an old piece of candy. That was tolerable, but there was also a scent that clashed with the sweetness. It reminded her of the scent of a hospital that Simon and Marcy went through looking for supplies.

Eventually a round peppermint man came bustling into the room with a candy-cane trolley. Atop it sat a few plates, one piled high with strawberries, the other with pancakes stacked atop one another. There was a syrup bottle sitting next to it along with a few plates and forks that they could use. Marcy got first dibs, and piled strawberries on her plate. She ate these quickly, her strength low since she hadn't had anything red lately and needed her fix. Next she chowed down on pancakes. She found the texture to be delightful, the syrup sweet but almost overpowering. The three in the room with her also ate, but not as much as she did. The princess ate like a bird, taking tiny bites off her fork. The boys ate like pigs, of course.

When they were finished, their plates were set on the trolley once more. Marcy's face was cleaned with a napkin by the princess who had already started feeling motherly towards the girl. The trolley was soon pushed out, but as the door opened, a cackling filled the room. Marcy shivered uncontrollably. She didn't like that laugh. It sounded too much like Simon when he got crazy.

"Princess? Oooooh Princess?" The voice called, the figure entering the doorway.

The stranger wore what appeared to be a long blue dress or robe that went down to his ankles, his feet bare. He had a long white cascading beard the reached his ankles and long nose poking out of his mustache. His skin was light blue, a much more intense color that Simon's. But one thing attracted Marcy's attention most.

That stupid gleaming crown atop his head. The rubies sparkled in the light, almost taunting the tiny vampire. She gritted her teeth, leaping up from the bed and onto her feet. She stood, pointing at the crown on the stranger's dome. How dare this weird old man take Simon's crown!

"Hey! Where'd you get that crown?!" Marcy shouted. It was obvious she was upset. "That's Simon's crown!"

The blue man frowned in confusion, not understanding what he might had done wrong. "Who's the squirt?"

Finn frowned, shaking his head as he took out his sword from his backpack. The man in blue backed up, raising his hands in peace.

"Hey hey hey! I haven't even done anything wrong yet! Glob, I just wanted to see what my bros were up to." Said the crowned old man, a frown on his face as if he were disappointed with the human boy. "_Andmaybeseeifbubblegumwouldfinallygooutwithme_—"

"Hey!" Marcy interrupted him again, "I asked you why you have Simon's crown!"

"Who's Simon?" The bearded old man scratched at his chin, raising a brow at the young one.

The young vampire growled, but was settled down by the Princess who stood between them. "Marcy, this is the Ice King. Ice King, this is Marcy."

"Marcy?" The Ice King asked, "What, are you, like, Marceline's cousin or something?"

"This is Marceline, you dope." Jake rolled his eyes at the Ice King.

"Woah, what happened to her?" He asked, genuinely interested, "Did she use some un-aging cream cause I need to get my hands on that!"

The Princess opted for not insulting the older man, but shook her head and sighed, "It's a long story."

So they went on to explain it to the older man. They explained the time machine, Marceline going back in time and consequently bringing the younger into the future. They went on to say that it would be a few days until they got the proper amount of power crystals for the machine, so Marcy was stuck here until the Wizard Festival was over.

"Hey, maybe you could get us the crystals! You're a wizard!" Finn pointed out.

"Glob, man! Have you seen the size of those crystals?" The Ice King exclaimed in disbelief. "I couldn't lift one if I tried. I doubt I could haul them even with my ice! Besides, you need an invitation, and I wasn't invited."

The group sighed but wasn't surprised.

"Why didn't they invite you?" Marcy asked, kicking out her legs as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Because I am obviously way too cool for them." The Ice King grinned, taking off the crown a moment to smooth back his hair. Marcy giggled, but was also surprised to see the man didn't revert back to another man when he took the crown off. Maybe he wore the crown so long he stayed like that.

"So, you're really from the past?" The Ice King asked, "What is it like?"

"It's kinda sad." Marcy shrugged, "I mean, I've never really known what it was like before. I was really tiny before the Mushroom War. But it's really grey and dark most of the time. Sometimes it's sunshiny and warm, but not a lot. Food is very hard to find sometimes, and sometimes there are mutants we have to run away from. Simon says that we have to head north before winter comes or we'll be too cold."

"Bummer." Ice King commented, frowning.

"So, we've been trying to find a place for Marcy to stay." Finn brought up.

"Right." Peebles nodded, tapping her lips with her fingers.

"Why can't she just stay at the castle, PB?" Jake asked.

"Well, you probably noticed a lot of my subjects have red colorings. I don't want there to be an incident where one of my subjects is injured." The Princess admitted, "No offense, Marcy. I just cannot take the chance."

"I wouldn't hurt anyone…" Marcy sighed, "But it's okay."

"She could stay with us at the tree house." Finn suggested.

PB considered this a moment before shaking her head. "Naah. I don't think she would like living there. With all those gross bugs and you rowdy boys, she'd never get any rest!"

They all remained quiet a moment, thinking up opportunities for lodgings for the vampire, tossing around ideas like basketballs but constantly missing the net. Finally, the Ice King spoke up after a surprisingly long time of silence.

"She could stay with me in the Ice Kingdom." The Ice King suggested, almost immediately receiving sour looks.

"Please, Ice King, like you know anything about handling children—"

"Hey!"

"You're a bad parent man, I see it already—"

"Hey!"

"We'll have to decline your offer; perhaps we could try contacting Abadeer once more—"

"HEY!" Marcy shouted, finally drowning out the rest of their voices. She paused a moment before delivering with a serious expression: "I want to go with him."

The group shared a look, but before they could react, the Ice King snatched the tiny vampire up and into his arms. "Great, I'm sure you'll love it there!" He said gleefully. They flew from the room, when Marcy noticed that he flew with her beard alone, like a bird flapping it's wings to keep aloft. It tickled her every time it moved. They flew over and around hospital staff and patients, nearing an open window that seemed to have been broken a few minutes before. Princess Bubblegum and the boys appeared behind them, chasing after the two on foot. Marcy and the Ice King ignored their (mostly PB's) protests as they flew from the hospital and out the window.

"THIS IS KIDNAPPING, ICE KING!" Shouted PB out the window, waving her fist at the retreating silhouette of the pair.

"Well, it isn't as if he hasn't done this before." Finn mentioned, shrugging.

"Yeah, and she did say she wanted to go with him." Jake said, peering out the window to spot the speck that Jake presumed was the Ice King. PB huffed and stomped down the stairs.

"Where are you going?!" Finn shouted after her.

"To my lab to work on the machine!" She shouted back.

"Well," Finn turned to Jake. "We'll check on them later, deal?"

Jake nodded, "Deal."

* * *

Marceline felt too warm and comfortable to want to wake up. She could hear the steady beat of his heart, so soothing and so nice. She never wanted to wake up from this dream. She breathed in deep, taking in his smell. He smelt like fresh rain, some cheap but sweet smelling aftershave (you see where that shave lead to, more hair-growth), and the crisp smell of falling snow. She snuggled up closer to that scent, feeling the fabric of his jacket on her cheek as she settled against him. She heard his sigh, the feeling of fingers going through her hair. She sighed back in response. She prayed to glob this wasn't a dream. It didn't feel like one, but she had been tricked before. She let herself relax into him, and slipped back into sleep.

She dreamt about flying. Not exactly flying, though. When she looked around, she saw the stars. The stars glittered brightly, shining down on her at all angles. She felt safe, however. She felt hands trailing across her body, most around her stomach. When she looked down, she could see her stomach was distended and grey. She was still calm, however, almost happy. The hands that were on her tummy were blue, and when she looked up, she saw Simon. Simon was smiling too. He was also floating. His hands moved from her stomach to her chin, tilting it upwards. Their eyes met, and for a moment it was infinity and no time at all, the sound of birds wings pounding in the void, the calling of an owl. Then his lips met hers.

And she woke up.

It was sudden, like the snap of fingers. She was disoriented before she realized where she was. They were in the ruined one story house. She was laying her head in Simon's lap as he read from a novel, completely unaffected as he ran his fingers through her hair. She felt herself blush, disentangling herself from him. Simon smiled a crooked smile, closing his book and stuffing it back in his backpack. "Good Morning Marcy."

"Mornin' Simon." She replied jovially, smiling back without hesitation. Marceline quickly began packing their things. Their things. The saying felt nice, rolled off the tongue easily.

Even though she knew it couldn't last.

She floated towards the doorway, waiting up for Simon as he pulled on his backpack. They were soon out the door and in the streets. The sun was out with a few grey clouds here and there, but it wasn't too bad of a day out. She didn't like the sun too much though. But her thoughts were still on that strange dream. Why had Simon kissed her? Why did she even like it? She was used to the forehead and cheek kisses, because that's what they usually did. How did she feel about that? About him?

She did not see Simon as a dad. Not at all. She did see him as a very old friend and maybe a babysitter at times, but not at all a parental figure. She did have her dad, after all. When Simon went missing and she was taken back by her father, she looked to him as a dad. Even when she was going through her rebellious stage, she still called him "dad". She still did, of course. Now that she thought about it, she was always attracted to magical boys with light hair. She took Ash into example, her ex-boyfriend.

He didn't act like Simon. No, not at all like him. Simon was nice, cordial, sweet and funny. Ash could sometimes be funny, but he was almost always immature and rude. The only thing keeping them together his similar hair color and his magical ability. When he sold Hambo to that witch, Marceline had been so enraged. She would have killed him, could have, but she had turned monstrous and scared him out of her house. For a few days she was heartbroken. Well, maybe heartbroken wasn't the word. Disappointed, maybe. That he wasn't a proper substitute for Simon. But that quickly passed when she started searching for Hambo.

She was glad to have Hambo back, even if it did cost Bonnibel her band t-shirt.

Marceline looked down at Simon from her place in the sky, shaded from the sun by her cloak. Did she love him? Yes, of course she did. She would always love him. Did she love him romantically?

She wasn't going to lie to herself.

"Hey!" Simon shouted from below. "See anything up there?"

Marceline had almost forgot what she was up there for other than personal time with her thoughts. She was to be looking for a marketplace or a mall for something to eat and a change of clothes. She needed to change, she felt sticky and gross in the clothes she was wearing at the moment. She scanned the area before catching sight of a mall down the road. She pointed in its direction and nodded. Simon followed her directions and soon they arrived at the mall. It was in surprisingly good shape, and they were able to enter without much issue.

Marceline landed on the linoleum quietly, joined by Simon who seemed to be debating with himself to ask. Finally he spoke, "Marcy, how did you get here in the first place?"

Marceline had been expecting this question for a while. It surprised her that it took him so long to ask. "I have this friend named Bonnibel. She's a princess and kind of a genius. She made this time machine and I kinda… well… used it behind her back. Sorry. Guess you're stuck with me."

"I guess I am." Simon smiled.

They split up to explore the mall. Marceline decided to go and pick out some outfits that she desperately needed. She decided to grab something for Simon to wear too. All she saw him wear were those suits of his, and they were starting to get worn out by constant use. She grabbed spare underwear, some jeans for both of them, a tank top and a turtleneck. Also socks. You always needed socks.

After looking into some of the dressing room stalls and finding skeletons crouched down in fetal positions, Marceline decided to just change out in the open. Simon was browsing in a nearby store, so she thought he would be too busy to stop by. Slipping off her clothes, she stripped down to nothing and began looking for a suitable bra in her size. She often went commando because of the lack of underwear stores in Ooo, and those you could find were very expensive. Just as Marceline had pulled on a pair of black underwear with red trim and began slipping on a matching bra, Simon appeared out of nowhere behind her, reading from the back of a can of soup.

"Hey, do you think this would still be good? It says that— oh." Simon choked on his words, taking a step back. Marceline cursed glob under her breath.

"Well, if you're here, could you help me with this?" She gestured to the hooks on the bra. Simon quickly dropped the soup can on his foot, probably out of nerves, and stuttered out some sort of word Marceline couldn't understand. He took a baby step towards her, and then another until he reached her and quickly snapped on the underwear for her. She turned around and modeled it for him. "How do I look?"

Simon laughed, his face purple-red from blushing so hard. He didn't know what to feel. It was so strange to see Marceline in such an outfit. Was she pretty? Yes. Was she beautiful? What kind of question was that? Of course! But this was Marcy! She shouldn't be wearing such… provocative things. He didn't feel like a father to her, per se, but he did feel responsible of her. He did realize, however, that this was the adult Marceline. She knew what she was doing. His heart was racing, pumping. He didn't know what to feel. So he answered her, "You look beautiful."

Marceline laughed, husky and melodious. Her laugh was beautiful as it was daunting, challenging. Her raven hair was tossed around wildly, creating an exotic look about her. Simon found himself staring at her, not lustfully but in wonder. He wondered what it was like to caress her neck, to kiss the bite marks on her swan-like neck. He was mute, his eyes dream-like behind his glasses. He was star-struck.

"Alright, show's over." Marceline chuckled teasingly, poking him in the chest. He licked his lips and nodded, almost disappointed and she began dressing again. Simon decided not to look like a pervert, grabbing the soup can and making a bee-line for the door when Marceline called him again. "Hey, wait! I have clothes for you to try on!"

Simon turned around once more, setting the can aside on the counter before returning to her. She was now wearing skin-tight jeans a loose-fitting tank-top, the bands of her bra sticking out like a stop-sign as the red lace was so vibrant. He complied when she told him to undress, although he felt so self-conscious about how skinny he was. His ribs showed quite obviously around his stomach, and his arms and legs were so skinny. But she didn't seem to notice, only looking at him, smiling coyly. He took the clothes that she had picked out for him and dressed, finding them to fit quite comfortably, unlike his suits which seemed to be fraying. Although, he would keep the suits. Even though they took up space in his backpack, they held sentimental value.

After they picked out more clothes and stuffed them into Simon's and Marceline's backpacks (Simon picked one up in another store for her), they looked through food stores for more supplies, and found plenty left behind. Many of the food was spoiled, but most of the canned food was still good. Marceline even found a new can-opener for them to use. They left when they heard movement in another part of the mall not too far away, wishing to avoid trouble rather than encourage it.

They quickly had lunch outside. The sun seemed only temporary as grey clouds began to join in the sky, threatening rain to come. They had peaches and SPAM, tossing their cans into a bin nearby. They were down the road when the rain hit, drenching them to the bone.

"So much for the new clothes!" Marceline shouted over the rain, smiling as her hair was blasted back by the downpour. Simon smiled at how wild she looked. His heart was full to bursting at her appearance, wishing he could pull her in and kiss her hard. Marceline caught his gaze, and it seemed as if they shared the same feeling at that exact moment.

For a moment, the rain was suspended in mid-air. Marceline turned slowly to him, her gaze locked onto his as she got closer and closer. Her eyes were almost predatorial. He didn't move away, didn't back down. He wasn't a damsel in distress; he was a knight in shining armor.

Electricity was alive in the air, thunder grumbling in the distance followed by the crashing of lightning. Simon wasn't afraid. He hardly even noticed as Marceline got nearer, close enough to touch. They were nose to nose, and Simon had the urge to close the distance, but hesitated. He wasn't sure what to do. Marceline licked her lips, cocking her head somewhat.

"Can I kiss you, Simon?" She asked, her voice light and almost comical considering their circumstances.

He barely mumbled a yes before their lips crashed together. His hand immediately went to her hair, pulling her in and tilting her head for a better angle. Her tongue teased his lips before being allowed entrance. Her hands snaked around him, pulling him flush to her as the rain started up again, pouring over them like a baptism. When they parted, their eyes were still locked.

"What are we, Simon?" Marceline whispered, barely heard above the stomping of the rain.

"We are…" Simon halted, "I don't know."

"I love you, Simon." Marceline smiled, "I think I do."

"I…" Simon opened his mouth, on the verge of speaking before ending with: "Me too."

* * *

_**TBC!**_


End file.
